Iraqi Republican Guard

The Iraqi Republican Guard was a corps of elite troops in the Iraqi Army that existed from 1969 to 2003. The Republican Guard reported directly to Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi Ba'ath Party, and guard members were almost exclusively Sunni Muslim Arabs; they received new cars, subsidized houses, and the best weapons and training. The Republican Guard, originally a presidential guard, was expanded to over 25 brigades during the Iran-Iraq War, and it played a major role during the Gulf War in Kuwait. In 2003, the guard was disbanded after the end of the Iraq War.